Suspension set up

[quoman]

When i was on the crosstourer forum there was a guy who spent lots of time in setting up the suspension as it was too soft. He listed his findings and it was so popular and amazingly better than stock that we all used it like a bible
My question is, has some poor devil done that here?as at a good 19 stone i reckon my GT is too soft

[krucymucy]

I did mine. Not saying it's perfect because it's not.
General rule for this kind of bikes is that you have preload set to 30% of total suspension travel when the rider is sitting on the bike.
GT has 138mm suspension travel at the front and 143mm at the rear.
 
That means you need to set preload in the front to about 41mm lower from fully extended.
It's the easiest way to measure from bottom of the fork to the dust protection rubber seal.
 
And at the rear you can measure distance between the rear wheel axis to the seat or something. You can do that while the bike is on center stand.
And set preload the way that is 43mm lower with the rider on seat.
 
Lean youself against the wall with the hand and have someone to do the measurements.
 
Rebound and compression adjustments depend on the personal preference and the roads you're driving on.
 
I personally have turned compression in left fork 3 clicks in the right and rebound in the right fork two clicks in the right.
 
At the rear I've turned 2 clicks to the right, but I'll turn one more click to the right for the next ride and do the test.
 
 
 

[betoney]

At a minimum, on any bike, get the spring rate for your weight and cargo and properly set sag. Correct spring rate makes a HUGE difference (one rate doesn't fit all riders like a Toyota Camry). Any competent suspension tuner should be able to tell you the correct spring rate if you tell them a weight value.
 
After you get springs/preload set, then you can focus on bump absorption. I usually ride more twisty sport-type roads and like my ride to have a fair bit of rebound damping to slow down the pogo or wallowing feel.
 
Good luck, IMHO, suspension adjustments/improvements are the most enjoyable change you can make to ANY bike.